A Light at the End of the Tunnel
by phantomwriter2006
Summary: This is a story that started after Christine came to the Opera house to live with Madame Giry. But Christine is facing some problems and emotions that started when her father died. Can Christine be pulled from this eternal darkness? Up for Adoption.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Phantom of the Opera and I have only seen the 2004 movie. I have not read the book, I thought that it was kind of a corny plot and so I took out some people and added some unique parts. This is my first full story so tell me what you think. Well I hope you like it._

_Ok you guys asked for another story and here it is. Ta doy. Well it is rated M for later chapters and because it has a very descriptive part of depression and It is somewhat depressing and in this it talks about someone throwing up so you have been warned. Well this is going to be very good so please R and R.

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**A Light at the End of the Tunnel**

"No! No, no, no!" Madame Giry yelled as Christine lost her balance, yet again, while trying to dance to 'Madame Giry's' expectations. "Christine" Giry yelled, "You are coming out of the jump too late and you are landing on your left foot when you need to turn on your right!"

It was a week before the opening of Hannibal, and Christine had still to get those steps right. Giry yelled, "Let's go through it again! This needs to be perfect!" This time Christine got it and didn't fall. She smiled and went on with the routine. They finished their dance and Madame Giry finally told them that they were done for the day.

Christine went over to Meg and said, "I finally got it! It took me a while but I got it." Meg smiled and said, "I knew you would! You have always had a hard time keeping up with me but you still manage to have it down by Opening Night." She added, "Besides, you were not the only one who messed up today. Didn't you see the falls that Katie and Brittney had in the ACT 3 dance? Mama made them do points for the rest of the act." Both girls laughed and went to the dressing room.

When they reached the dressing room, Christine suddenly felt very dizzy. She began to wobble; she was just about to collapse when Meg grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to sit down against the wall. Christine leaned against the wall and steadied herself. When Christine could hold herself in that position, Meg ran back to the stage and returned with her mother and some water.

When they reached Christine, she was shaking and felt really light headed as well as dizzy. Meg gave the water to her mother and Giry asked Christine to open her mouth. When she did, Giry put the cup to Christine's lips and she drank the water. When Christine could hold the cup on her own, Giry spoke, "This is the Eighth time that this has happened in the last four days. You are not eating and drinking enough. You are very dehydrated and you are getting very pale. Tomorrow I want you to come see me before we start to rehearse and let me make sure you are fine. Now Meg," she turned to her daughter who looked very concerned for Christine, "I want you to take her to your room and put her to bed. She needs rest above all things. If she is still asleep when it is time for dinner, let her sleep. I have things I need to attend to." Meg nodded and walked over to her friend and helped her up. Meg supported Christine and helped her walk to their room.

Meg laid Christine on the bed. "She's getting too skinny," she thought, "I know that we are working hard, but not enough to make her that skinny and this weak." Meg went to the bathroom and retrieved a bucked that was in there, knowing that when Christine woke she would throw up. It had happened every time this week. Twice there hadn't been a bucket, so Meg was being prepared. Meg then went about picking up the room making sure that nothing was on the floor or in the way of the bathroom in case Christine made a run for it. She then removed Christine's Points and put them away. Then she went to change herself. She left the room as quietly as she could, trying not to wake Christine.

The next morning when Christine woke up, she was very dizzy and nauseated. She sat up then bolted into the bathroom and threw up. When she emerged from the bathroom, she was still a little dizzy, but she could stand now. She went to a mirror and looked at herself. She was very pale and she had dark circles under eyes, for all she could tell she was the living dead.

She knew she should eat, but her metabolism was slowing and what she did eat took her forever to burn off dancing. Most days she didn't even feel like eating, she was just never hungry. She hurried and took a shower and dressed in her back-up costume. She made her way down to the dressing room and powdered her face so she didn't look so pale. She knew that Antoinette would be watching her closely today. She finally got down to the practice room, everyone was still at breakfast. They would be there for about another hour, so she had time to practice.

She put on her points and walked over and dusted them. She took a minute to stretch and then went to her starting position. She counted off in her head and then began her routine. She finally got through it without falling and she knew that she wouldn't mess up the rest of the day. She estimated that it had been about forty-five minutes since she first came down here. She knew that it was a good idea to take a few minutes to rest, so she went to go get a drink of water and let her heart sow down a little before starting again. She was able to run through about three more times before Meg came in.

Meg gave Christine a scolding/concerned look. Meg knew that Christine had not eaten anything today and that she would be down here practicing. So Meg went over to Christine and said, "Why don't you eat something, and take a little break? I brought you something to eat." She then pulled an apple out of her costume bag and handed the apple to Christine. She needed to put her bag in the dressing room but Christine needed to be watched so she would eat the apple.

Meg had noticed that for the past six years, Christine had gone into a depression and started to eat less and less. Just recently, she noticed that Christine was making frequent trips to the bathroom after they had eaten huge meals. Meg also knew how much sleep Christine was getting. Oh she hid it well but she was working herself to exhaustion. Meg was very concerned about Christine. She saw how many times Christine weighed herself to make sure that she was in range for the ballet. But Meg also knew that Christine was just barely in range for the ballet. Meg was very concerned for Christine and she remembers the countless nights that Christine thought that she was asleep and she was crying for her father.

Christine saw the concerned look in Meg's eyes and knew that Meg wouldn't leave her alone until she at least ate the apple. "What could it hurt?" she thought, "It is just an apple, and it will at least last me until dinner." With that thought she took the apple from Meg and ate it. Christine knew Meg could tell what was going on with her, but what Meg didn't know was that Christine hadn't eaten anything in three days.

Meg smiled when Christine finished the apple and they left the practice room talking. When they reached the stage, Antoinette was there waiting for everyone to arrive. She saw Meg and Christine coming toward her. She walked over to Christine and asked, "How are you feeling this morning Christine?" Christine smiled and told her that she was feeling fine and she was just tired yesterday. But Antoinette had her own thoughts. She noticed that Christine's eyes looked very dark and her skin was so pale. She knew Christine was not telling the truth. She really shouldn't let her practice today. From what Meg told her the day before, Christine was in serious danger. She knew that if Christine didn't get help soon she could die. Antoinette knew that there was only one person who could reach Christine on a deep enough level. But she just had to find him.

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_Hey please don't kill me, 'running away from angry readers with torches and pitchforks' I know that Christine isn't Anorexic, but hey it makes a good plot…and who will this mysterious person be who Madame Giry needs to find? Muah ha ha ha ha ha ha. You will have to wait till the next chapter. You have to read and review, so I will put the next chapter up. He He. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own The Phantom of the Opera. That belongs to someone else, Lucky son of a monkey. Oh well I have read a book like this on fan fic but this is only a little like it ok. So now don't sew me. Plus you will really like this story. Well please read and review. Now on to Chapter two, Sorry that is took so long to update. It will take a while for the next chapter because I am going out of state and I will not have a computer so I am doing the update now, at least for chapter two.

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Erik Destler was an architect and a composer. In his spare time he taught singing lessons. Erik was well known for his building designs and his musical compositions, even though no one had ever seen him. When he had to meet with people, he met them at night and when they met him he was always at the meeting place before his clients and he always stayed to the shadows.

There was only a hand full of people who had ever seen him. But even those people had never seen him without his mask, except one. Antoinette had seen him without his mask. He owed his life to Antoinette. She had been the one to save him from that traveling circus. She had done so much for him, how could he ever repay her?

As that thought occurred to him that night in September, Erik heard one of the alarms go off, that he had developed himself to warn him of intruders and how many so he could tell whether he should fight or hide. This time it was only one person so he moved to the shadows and grabbed his Punjab Lasso and readied himself to attack. He hid in the darkness as he watched a woman in a hooded cloak come into view. He let out a breath that he was not aware he had been holding, but he didn't come out of the shadows.

He knew who it was. It wasn't hard to tell who it was. It was Antoinette, but why was she here now? He waited a few minutes just to make sure that she was alone and his alarm was not malfunctioning. He still waited in the shadows as he heard her yell out at him, "Erik! Quite being so damn cautious and get out here! I have to discuss a very serious matter with you!" Oh she is angry; he thought he had also heard something else in her voice. Her anger hid it well but not well enough that he could not here it. It was fear. What was she afraid of?

"And what it this matter that you wish to speak to me about at this time of night?" She heard from behind her, making her jump. "Erik!" she scolded, "Don't sneak up on people like that, you could give someone a heart attack!" " I doubt that Madam" he said with a smirk, "Now what was it that you wish to talk to me about that brought you all the way down to my house at this time of night?"

Madam Giry took a breath; she sighed and spoke slowly, "I came here to talk to you about Christine."

Erik's face now became serious and he takes Antoinette to some chairs that are set by a table where he does most of his composing when not at the organ. He then sits her down himself.

"What's wrong?" he asks concerned.

He sees Antoinette is close to tears but she managers to say, "Oh, Erik! I am so worried about her! She hasn't been herself and she is getting so weak. She isn't eating and she has been wrenching every morning for the past few months and she poorly eats anything anymore. Erik, she is starving herself and I don't know why or what to do! I have heard of girls dying from this…please! You are the only one who can get close enough to her to help her."

With this being said Antoinette completely breaks down and passes out. Erik sees her start to fall off the chair she was in and he hurries to her side and puts her up and takes her to a room with a bed so she can lie down. He lays her down and leaves quickly returning with a bowl of cold water and a cloth. He dips the cloth in the water and places it on Antoinette forehead.

While doing this he thinks about what she said. "Christine is not eating? She's loosing a lot of weight? I haven't much of a change. I've known her since her father died and I thought that she was just abnormally thin….but this! What can I do?"

As he pondered in a deep thought, Madam Giry comes to. She stayed laying down knowing she passed out and she needed to let her body rest for a minute.

Erik saw her stir and took the cold cloth from her head and took the bowl and left. He returned a minute later with some water and gave it to Madam Giry. She smiled thankfully knowing he had watched many ballet rehearsals where this had happened.

She sat up and drank the water slowly when the dizziness faded. She looked up and Erik was there with a solemn look.

Erik knew he had let her rest long enough that she could still talk. So he asked quickly, still in his own thoughts, "How long has this been happening?" His was sad.

She wasn't surprised. She knew Erik was in love with Christine. She had known it ever since she brought Christine here 11 years ago when her father died. She had brought him here when he was 12, and Little Christine was only 7 at the time. But he comforted her, taught her to sing and she knew he was the only one who could help her.

Madam Giry answers, "It has been gong on since she was 7, but not the eating problem. She was just depressed. She stopped eating little by little but mostly over the past 6 years." She smiled sadly. "I wish I would have come sooner with this problem, but she has only started throwing up in the past few weeks". She sighed trying very hard not to cry again and waited for Erik to say something.

Erik thought about it for a moment. He loved her. He wanted to help her. But what could he do? He had never let Christine even see him. She didn't even know his name. She only knew him as her Angel of Music.

Finally, Erik made up his mind. He turned to Madam Giry and said to her, "I will help, but why come to me? She doesn't even know who I am except for her Angel of Music."

That was when Madam Giry smiled widely and said, "Then go to her as the Angel of Music and introduce Erik to her. I know you love her, Erik. That is one reason why I am asking you to help her instead of a doctor. She is the second daughter I never had. I don't want to loose her."

With those words, she started to tear up again but she didn't loose it completely. Erik stood up and went to Antoinette and sat next to her. She turned and cried on his shoulder.

He put his arms around her to comfort her. He had never liked to see Antoinette or Meg cry. Antoinette was like a mother to him, the mother who loved him and didn't scream how hideous he was. He owed it to her to be there for comfort because countless times this had been reversed. Erik was the one who needed comfort.

Antoinette stopped crying after a while and apologized for being so childish. Erik smiled at that and he escorted Antoinette back to her room so she would not get lost in the labyrinth of tunnels trying to find her way back.

He went back to his home and found a clean dry shirt and changed shirts because his other one was still wet from tears. He found his suit and changed into that. Then he put on his evening cloak, which was black lined with crimson silk. He turned to a mirror and even though he despised looking at his reflection, looked at it anyway. He fixed his mask so it was a little more comfortable and put the mirror down. He ran toward a tunnel and thought to himself, "I'm coming Christine. Your Angel of Music will not let you fall!"

And with that thought he turned down the path of dark stone that led to the one place Christine was know to go every day.

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_I am so, so sorry that it is so short. I have not had time to update and I am going out of town. I still expect you to review, or I will send my dog Zeus after you. Muah ha ha ha ha ha ha. Well I have a bus to catch. I am going to California. Sun! Heat! Yey! I will write more when I return. Dun dun dun…where will she go? What will she do? Who will she meet? No body knows – even me. If you want to know what will happen, you have to review and wait. Muah ha ha ha!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I am sorry but I don't own Phantom of the Opera. I wish I did, but I don't so what can I do, Nothing that's what. Oh well, I hope you enjoy this next Chapter in the story of A light at the end of the tunnel. And I am really sorry that I have taken so long to update, but I have been really busy with school and with my trip that I took not so long ago. Well anyway on to the story .PS. I am sorry that I made Erik sound like a wuss in the last chapter but in my story he is a very misunderstood, compassionate man with a deformity. Well anyway on to the story again. _

_Warning: this Chapter contains Attempted Suicide. That is one of the reasons that this story is rated M. well you have been warned. _

Christine had just gotten back from a long, hard rehearsal. She wanted to go back to her room, but she knew Meg would be there and she wanted to be alone. She knew there was one place where she could be alone. She made her way down the stone passages, down some stairs and into an open room.

There was a Pew in the corner. No light showed through the stain glass windows. She found the matches, which she had brought down when she had first found the Chapel, and lit the candles and prayed.

When she finished praying she stood up, but collapsed sobbing. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. She then went to the wall and found the loose brick and pulled it out. She then reached into the nook and pulled out a wooden box that was inside. She opened the box and pulled out a dagger. She pulled it out of its sheath and placed the cold metal blade on her wrist.

She knew what she was doing, she had thought about it often. Now she was going to do it. She had thinned her blood with wine all day and she had managed to keep it down. She couldn't live anymore. Ever since her father died she had been so depressed and just living for no reason. Now she would be happy, she would live with her father and mother again. She would leave everything she owned to Meg and Antoinette. She loved them both and she didn't want to bother them any longer.

She put pressure on the blade and quickly cut her wrist. She sucked in air as it cut her weak flesh. Then she cut the other wrist. She now waited as she blood spilled from her veins. The last thing that she remembered before everything went black was a tall figure coming out of the wall and coming to her side and her whispering, "Angel!" The last word she said and it echoed in her mind.

Erik was two floors down when he heard Christine sob out in anguish. When he heard her, something told him to run so he started running. He wanted to hold her, comfort her.

When he reached her he saw he was too late. She had silted her wrists but she was still conscious but barely. He could save her. He ran to her side and caught her just before she fell limp. The last thing she said before she lost consciousness was "Angel!" He quickly laid her down and tore her skirt and used it for a bandage. He wrapped it tightly around her wrists and picked her up carefully.

He made his way back down to his home at a very fast pace. He went down a path that took him straight to his spare bedroom (Hell knows why he had it but he did) He placed her carefully in the bed and ran to the kitchen. He found the box of medical supplies that Nadir had given him so he wouldn't have to go to a doctor. He ran to his bedroom and grabbed the blankets from his bed and ran back to Christine. He threw the blankets on the floor and went the bed. He carefully untied the bandages and quickly found a sterilized needle and his medical thread. He very accurately stitched her wrists closed and stopped the bleeding.

He watched, very slowly, the color faintly come back into her skin going from death white to an extremely light cream. "Thank God!" He thought, "She is going to live!" All he had to do was to wait for her to wake up. He turned around and picked up the blankets that he had brought earlier and wrapped her in them. He suddenly had a thought that scared the daylights out of him. "What of I hadn't run when I did? Would she be alive now?" He fought the urge to cry. Cry for Christine, Cry for her life, Cry for the god who told him to run and saved her life. For the first time in vary many years, he knelt by Christine's side and prayed. He prayed for Christine to live, he prayed for her strength and his to help her through everything that would come.

He turned and left her to sleep in peace or whatever calmness that she had found for the moment. He put his medical supplies away and washed the needle. He returned a bit later to rewrap her wrists. After he finished, he brought a chair in and sat a Christine's side.

_Spend all your time waiting for that second chance _

_For the break that will make it ok._

_There's always some reason to feel not good enough_

_And it's hard at the end of the day._

Erik got up and started pacing. He wanted to help Christine. But he didn't know how. For the second time that day he felt helpless.

_I need some distraction Oh beautiful release_

_Memory_ _seeps through my veins._

_Let me be empty or a weightless_

_And maybe I'll find some peace tonight._

He couldn't take it anymore. He went to her side and lied down next to her and held her close. She was burning up with a fever and she was shivering. He pulled her closer and slept.

_In the arms of an angel far away from here _

_From this dark, cold hotel room_

_And the endlessness that you fear_

_You are pulled from the wreckage_

_Of your silent reverie_

_You're in the arms of the angle_

_May you find some comfort there. _

Erik woke and Christine was still sleeping. He knew that it had been at least a day since he brought her to his home. He had to admit he was scared; he had never been scared before, not like this. He stayed next to Christine the whole night again. He woke up and looked at Christine. She was still unconscious, but he thought, "It's better this way, she won't have to deal with the pain quite yet.

_So tired of the straight line _

_And everywhere you turn_

_There vultures and thieves at your back _

_And the storm keeps on twisting_

_You keep on building the lie_

_That you make up for all that you lack_

He got up and went to his desk. He had to write Antoinette and tell her what happened and that Christine was all right. No doubt that she went to the chapel and had already seen the blood. He finished writing and letter and sealed it.

_It don't make no difference_

_Escaping one last time_

_It's easier to believe_

_In this sweet madness, oh_

_This glorious sadness _

_That brings me to my knees. _

He went back to check on Christine. She was still sleeping. He again fought the urge to cry because of the pain that she had suffered. The pain she will still suffer. He walked over to her and held her for a bit before he changed his clothes and went to deliver the letter and clean up the blood.

_In the arms of an angel_

_Fly away from here_

_From this dark cold hotel room_

_And the endlessness that you fear_

_You are pulled from the wreckage_

_Of your silent reverie _

_You're in the arms of the angel_

_May you find some comfort there._

He delivered the letter and cleaned up the blood. All he could do now was to go back and wait. He returned and put the rags he used to clean up the blood to soak in the lake. Then he returned to Christine. She was so pale. This time he didn't fight the tears…he couldn't. He placed his head on the bed next to Christine and wept. While he cried he hadn't realized that Christine was awake. He knew she was awake when he felt her hand gently going through his hair. He looked up and saw she was ready to start crying herself. So he sat on the bed and held her as she cried.

_You're in the arms of the angel_

_May you find some comfort here. _

_Ha I fooled you! You thought that I was going to kill Christine didn't you? Well if you didn't… don't gloat. You thought that she was going to kill herself, well she did, but she lives! _

_Anyway the song I don't own but it is one of my favorites. It is called "In the Arms of an Angel" by Sarah McLaughlin. I love that song and it seemed to fit so perfectly with the story that I just had to put it in. _

_Well please read and review or I will send my dog Zeus after you. "Ahhg! I don't want to get off my couch! I like lying on my couch! So don't make her send me after you peoples Review! _


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